


Becoming Corruption

by rowancas



Series: Rowan Malfoy [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform, and yall gotta understand i am not reading every single book again, based more on the book than the movie, not everything is gonna be totally canon, repost from mibba so yall may recognize it, slight AU, so some things might be a little off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:18:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowancas/pseuds/rowancas
Summary: Rowan Malfoy is the less-known, less-cruel twin sister of Draco. Up until now, she'd been attending Beauxbatons, but upon becoming expelled she's enrolled right beside Draco at Hogwarts. Things take a turn for the worst when Rowan is sorted into Gryffindor. Being the sister of Draco works against her when she realizes that her chances at friendship with those in her house have already been ruined, thanks to her brother.But when Hermione Granger steps above the rumors and befriends Rowan, things begin to look up for the young girl. That is, until her father makes it clear she cannot have a loyalty to both her friends in Gryffindor and her family. Rowan must make the impossible decision: is blood thicker than water?





	1. Beginnings

“We’re leaving in twenty minutes whether you’re ready or not,” my brother called into my room as he sauntered down the hall. Letting out a frustrated groan, I reluctantly pushed myself up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

The train to my old school didn’t leave until three in the afternoon, so I could sleep in to my heart’s content. But the Hogwarts Express left at eleven exactly, and if I missed my ride, our parents would be furious. And honestly, they were already mad enough, so I really needed to get my butt in gear.

I’d been attending the Beauxbaton’s Academy of Magic since I began school; it was a great place, don’t get me wrong, but not being French was a definite downside. I was planning on finishing out my schooling there until something came up.

More like something went _down_ , referring to the way Nicolette dropped like a sack of bricks when I punched her in the face. And then the way that _I_ went down when six other girls jumped me to stick up for Nicolette. Needless to say, I wasn’t very popular at Beauxbaton’s. My only two friends at the school turned on me when I became outnumbered. Talk about friendship.

Shuffling to my vanity, I plopped down on the stool and examined my face; it was much better than it had been last month. My black eye was almost completely healed, my cut lip was good as new, and the scratches and bruises were finally gone. 

Leaving my injuries had been part of my punishment; they could have been healed in moments, but as my mother said, ‘ _that wouldn’t teach me anything_ ’. With a sigh, I ran a brush through my hair, letting my bangs fall over the rest of my black eye. 

_Good as it’s gonna get_ , I decided, flashing a cheeky smile at my reflection before reluctantly getting up and shuffling to my wardrobe. 

Just as I was buttoning up my jeans, Draco slammed his fist against the door and barked,

“Ten minutes, Rowan! Come on!”

“Shove it!” I shouted back, and was immediately answered with, “ _Enough with the attitude, Rowan_ ,” from my mother. 

Glowering at the door, I slipped my shoes and slammed the door behind me, jogging down the stairs behind my brother. I gave the back of his knee a kick and sniggered as he dropped onto the steps. I hopped over him and headed for the dining room, shooting him a smirk over my shoulder before I turned the corner. 

“It’s about time you were up,” my father noted, giving a disdainful sniff as he continued to study the paper. Grabbing a slice of toast off the counter, I said a quick thank-you to our house elf and plopped down at the table. As my brother stormed into the dining room, I gave him a sweet smile.

“Got held up, did you?”

“Think you’re funny, do you? Little brat,” he threw out, dropping down onto the chair across from me.

“Rowan, Draco, both of you please behave,” my mother sighed, coming into the dining room as she finished fixing her hair. Draco mumbled and stuffed the rest of his eggs into his mouth before snagging his wand and disappearing into the family room. 

“Would I ever be difficult, mother?” I asked in a sugary sweet voice; she gave me an irritable frown.

“We’re leaving in a few minutes,” my father announced, his icy eyes flicking up to me. “Do you have –“ He cut off and let out something close to a growl. I froze. “Upstairs. Right now.”

“What? Why?” I asked, a piece of toast dropping out of my mouth onto the plate; I felt the eye roll from mother as father snapped the paper shut. 

“You are representing the name _Malfoy_. I will not have my child dressed in shabby muggle’s clothing. I want you in decent clothes in five minutes.” When I didn’t budge, he slammed the paper onto the table. “ _Now_ , Rowan!”

“But I want to finish my –“

“Rowan, if I need to repeat myself,” my father started, unsightly vein bulging in his forehead as his face began to turn read. 

“She’s going, dear,” my mother sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose as she snagged the back of my jacket, pulling me out of the chair. As I went to slip out of the dining room, my father’s hand locked onto the top of my arm and pulled back me to him.

“Lucius,” my mum began, only to be silenced by the look he shot her. Turning his icy gaze back to me, he said quietly,

“I do not want to hear anything about you causing trouble at that school. If I am informed of any misbehavior, you will be punished further. Do you understand me, Rowan?”

Even I knew better than to mouth off to my father when he was in this mood. His hand tightened just a hit and I nodded quickly.

“Yes, father.”

With that, he released my arm, and I scampered quickly past my mother to avoid any more lectures. I changed fast, tugging on my [Sunday dress](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=223844673) and kicking my sneakers under my bed, in hopes father wouldn’t have the house elves throw them away. 

When I returned downstairs into the family, I found Draco sprawled out on the loveseat, a book held lazily in his hand. With a sigh, I plopped down onto the tiles and leaned back against my luggage. 

“Get in trouble with father, did you?”

“What’s it to you?” I muttered, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on my knees. Draco leaned forward and gave me a condescending look.

“Rowan you need to grow up. You’re sixteen now, it’s time you started acting like it.”

“Yes, mother,” I sneered, barely dodging the book he sent in my direction; it landed with a loud snap, echoing around the large empty room. 

“Enough fooling around,” came the rumbling voice of Travers as he and Rowle came jogging up the stairs. Mother and father never came to see us off; it would be two of my father’s close, personal ‘coworkers’ who took our luggage to the train for us. 

Travers held out his hand to help me up, and then grabbed hold of my bags; for a henchman, he wasn’t so bad. I preferred him over the other goons that frequented our house, including Rowle, who sneered in distaste as he followed Draco into our fireplace. 

“Because crawling into the fireplace is the grossest thing he’s done in his lifetime,” I mumbled to myself; Travers’ stern face twitched with amusement. 

“Could you please not talk to yourself?” Draco groaned, straightening his overcoat as he stepped in.

“Why not?”

“You look mental. I won’t have my sister making a fool of myself or our family at school.”

“I’m sure you’ve already got that covered,” I sneered, and he shot me a look.

“You’d better watch yourself,” he warned. “Father asked me to make sure you behave this year.”

“Right, like my snot-faced brother whining to daddy actually worries me. I think you’re just afraid the others will like me more than you.”

“Shut up Rowan.”

Just as he began to go up in flames, I shot him a rude hand gesture; Travers let a full smile come onto his face as he conveniently pretended not to see. 

ღ

“Hurry _up_!” Draco sighed, pausing once again as I stopped to look around Kings Cross Station. “We don’t have time for you to sightsee!”

“Fine, fine, I’m coming,” I muttered, trudging after Draco as Travers and Rowle brought up the rear. The station for Beauxbaton’s was so plain and empty. All I ever saw were a few wandering cows in the countryside. But this muggle train station was _astounding_!

“You’re going to be sharing a compartment with myself, Blaise, Flint, and Pansy, so-“

“Not Pansy! Please! I’ll do your homework for a month if you let me sit somewhere else –”

“I need to keep an eye on you!” Draco snapped, coming to a halt at a stone pillar and pointing to it. “Walk through there and _wait for me_ on the other side.”

“Oh cool! I’ve always wanted to go through this!” I was backing up and then sprinting for the barrier before he stopped speaking. “See you on the train!” 

“ _Wait for me_!” Draco called as I disappeared. Moments later I was on the other side, stumbling to catch myself before I ran into someone.

“That was awesome,” I breathed to myself, pushing my hair back from my face. The crowd was bustling, and I peeled off towards the others ready to start my Hogwarts adventure. 

“What part of ‘wait for me’ do you not understand?!” Draco hissed, snagging my arm to pull me to a stop, waiting for our luggage-men to catch up. 

“I just want to look around, and you were taking too long!” I defended, allowing myself to be towed after my brother. I gave Travers a quick wave as he tossed my bags up into the storage compartment; he gave a quick nod, and then he and Rowle disappeared back the way we’d come, leaving me alone with my irate brother. 

“Please try not to embarrass me, Rowan,” he growled, pulling me up the stairs after him. As we wove our way down the aisle, I tried to get a look at all the kids I’d be going to school with. I didn’t miss all the nasty glares, frightened looks, and rude gestures kids gave my brother as he passed.

“Not very popular, are you?” I whispered to Draco; he jammed his elbow into my ribs as we turned into a half-full compartment. Even while wincing, I recognized Pansy right away; she gave me a rather nasty glare as I did the same. Draco jerked my bag off my shoulder and hoisted it up into the luggage racks as we settled down in the compartment. As he sat, he pulled me down into the seat beside him. 

“Flint, Blaise, I think you remember my sister, Rowan,” Draco said in his smoothest voice, trying to impress his friends. Blaise merely nodded at me while I got a smirk from Flint.

“She’s grown up well,” he said in what I guessed was supposed to be a seductive tone.

“Keep it in your pants, Flint,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared out the window. Thankfully, the others were happy to ignore my existence, and I was soon enough forgotten. As the others exchanged dull stories of their summer, my patience began to wear down to dangerous levels. Finally, unable to take any more of Pansy’s obnoxious laughter, I shoved to my feet and stepped around my brothers’ legs. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Draco asked me, grabbing my wrist to keep me from leaving. I yanked my arm free and slid the compartment door open.

“I’m leaving before I shove Pansy’s hand down her throat. Feel free to come if you want.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh as I smirked at Pansy, Draco said,

“Be back in half an hour, Rowan, or I’m coming to find you.”

“Ooh, scary,” I sniggered, all but running out of the compartment and slamming the door before he revoked my freedom. I took a deep, relaxing breath – glad to be rid of the most obnoxious people I knew – and set off to roam the train. 

ღ

With my half hour nearly up, I began to head back down the corridor, looking for the snack trolley I’d seen when we’d arrived. After what felt like walking the entire train, I reached the end of the aisle and turned abruptly to head back the other direction. I hadn’t taken two steps before a body slipped out of the dressing stalls and bumped into me. The girl I’d collided with stumbled back and her armful of books dropped to the ground. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, stooping to grab them. She knelt down too, saying,

“Don’t worry about it, that was completely fault.”

After I’d gathered her books, we both stood up and smiled at one another. She stuck out her hand and as we shook she said,

“I’m Hermione Granger.”

My mind registered exactly who I was talking to a moment after I said,

“Hi, I’m Rowan Malfoy.”

Hermione’s smile froze on her face.


	2. First Impressions

_Well, there goes THAT possible friendship_ , I sighed to myself as Hermione stuttered,

"M-malfoy?"

"Yep, that's my name," I chuckled nervously, pulling my hand back to run awkwardly through my hair.

_Keep it cool Rowan. Just pretend like you're not a photocopy of her worst enemy._

"Right," Hermione said quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she began to look everywhere but me. "Ah, well, my friends are waiting for me-"

"Hermione!" a new voice called from a compartment a few feet away. "Did you find the snack cart? Because if you haven't paid, I changed my mind. I want three boxes of snapping wazzles and only _one_ chocolate frog..."

Hermione gave me a nervous smile as the person who had just spoken walked up to us. I recognized him as a Weasley right away; red hair, shabby clothes, and a goofy grin. Plus, he was friends with Grang- I mean, _Hermione_.

"Hey, 'Mione, who's this?" Ron asked, still grinning as he looked back and forth between Hermione and I.

"Uh, Ron, this is, uh-"

"Hi, I'm Rowan Malfoy," I said, biting the bullet for Hermione. "Ron Weasley, right? Pleasure to meet you."

I stuck out my hand for Ron to shake; but, just like Hermione, when he heard my last name his grin faded and he blinked at me a few moments before asked,

"Did you just say Malfoy?"

"Sure did," I sighed, my spirits dropping just a bit lower as, once again, I pulled my hand back. Ron and Hermione exchanged an uneasy glance as I heard,

"Rowan! You're late!"

Oh, just _great_. My brother, the absolute winner of the worst timing awards. Go, Draco.

"Oy! Ron, where'd you get off to?" someone called.

Now I wasn't the only one looking anxious. Hermione and Ron had just begun backing up from me when Draco's hand locked onto my shoulder. I let out a sigh; this was going great.

After a heartbeat of uncomfortable silence I glanced back at my brother.

"Draco, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I take it you three know each other pretty well, seeing as how they're already trying to run away from me-"

"Enough, Rowan," Draco snapped as a third person stepped into view.

Harry Potter.

He took in the sight of Draco and I standing side by side. Though our eyes were different, there was no denying we were related. Chisled jaw, sharp nose, sleek blonde hair... Harry's eyes widened in shock, and Hermione cleared her throat to mumble,

"Harry, this is Rowan Malfoy."

"Another Malfoy at Hogwarts?" Harry snorted in disgust, narrowing his eyes. "I thought one cockroach was more than enough."

A little harsh, seeing as i literally hadn't said a word to him yet, but I understood the hostility. My brother wasn't a very loveable guy. Draco took a step forward, shoving me back behind him.

"That's my sister you're talking to, Potter. You'd better learn some manners."

"I don't need any manners to talk to a Malfoy," Harry snarled, balling his fists. I moved to pull Draco back, but he pushed me back again, taking a step forward.

"Harry, stop-" Hermione said quickly, taking his arm. Draco narrowed his eyes and said,

"I suppose I can't blame you for not having any manners, seeing as your mum got herself killed before she could teach you anything decent!"

"Quit, Draco -" I cut in quickly, trying to put out the ridiculous argument before wands were drawn.

As always, Draco ignored me. Harry was fuming; Ron stepped forward with Harry and balled his fists. Hermione and I stood off to the side, exasperation and concern on our faces.

"If you don't learn to keep your mouth shut around my sister, I'll shut it for you," Draco spat, taking another step towards Harry. I could see Harry's hand begin to reach for his wand.

As Draco reached for his, another compartment slid open and an older student leaned out; the badge on his chest read _Prefect_.

"Is there a problem here?" He asked, eyes lingering on my brother and I.

"Let's go, Rowan. These pricks and their little mudblood bitch aren't worth our time."

Before I could say anything, Draco spun and grabbed my arm, pulling me down the hall after him. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Harry glowering at me as Ron wrapped an arm around Hermione. My stomach twisted.

"You just make friends left and right, don't you?" I asked sourly as Draco all but threw me into the compartment.

"This is why I can't let you go anywhere by yourself!" Draco snarled, slamming the compartment door and dropping down onto the seat; Pansy practically threw herself onto him. Resisting the urge to gag, I reluctantly sat on his other side and dropped my head against the window.

"I was doing just fine until you showed up and acted like the royal prick you are."

Draco shot me a nasty glare, then turned back to Blaise and Flint to let me wallow in my misery.

Somehow I had a feeling my father would be hearing about this.

ღ

"You're going to be sorted with the first years. Can I leave you alone for that long?" Draco asked snidely, [tugging my arm](https://www.polyvore.com/rowan_narcissa_malfoy/set?id=223843910) to make me keep pace with him as we walked towards the carriages.

"I'm not a dog," I snapped, pulling my arm free and marching ahead of him. Instantly, Draco was at my side again, hissing,

"Then behave yourself!"

Climbing angrily into the carriage, I folded my arms defiantly over my chest and glowered out the window. The carriage had barely stopped moving before Draco was hauling me off. I stumbled to keep up with him as he marched towards a very large man with an even larger beard.

"She is to be sorted with the first years," Draco demanded, shoving me towards the crowd of little kids. I stumbled and glared at my brother as the man turned to frown down at Draco.

"An' who is _she_?"

"My sister, you oaf! Make sure she does as she's supposed to. If anything happens to her, our father will have your job! Do you understand me?."

"Sheesh, Draco, be a little more of an ass next time," I muttered, turning away from my brother.

"Rowan, I swear if you do anything to cause trouble -"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll behave."

"As _soon_ as you're sorted, come sit next to me. Understood?"

"I said okay, Draco!"

Without another word, my brother spun on his heels and went to join his friends. As the rather large man began to herd the kids and myself towards the castle, I glanced up at him.

"Sorry about my brother."

The man looked down at me and gave me a smile.

"Don' worry 'bout it, Miss Malfoy."

"You can call me Rowan."

"'Ello Rowan. Names Hagrid. Nice teh meet yeh."

Nice to meet you too, Hagrid," I said, smiling back up at him.

"You don't sound like a Malfoy, that's f'sure" he said, holding the door open for our group to shuffle in. .

"I manage to control my cruel family instincts," I joked, following the kids up the stairs. Hagrid laughed and said,

"Yer a gem, you are. This is where I leave yeh, Rowan. I'll see yeh 'round."

"Bye Hagrid," I said, waiving after him just as another voice announced,

"First years, welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once through those doors, you shall wait before the stairs to be sorted into your appropriate houses. My name is Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house."

Professor McGonagall went on about the history of the school, and what to expect for sorting. I knew the gist of it, from what Draco had described after his first year, so I let my mind wander instead.

I spotted a few older kids, closer to my age, amongst the crowd. At least I wasn't the only transfer. Maybe there'd be hope yet for some friends.

"And those transferring to Hogwarts will be sorted last," she announced, clapping her hands together. "From here on, you are all students, and all will be welcomed in these halls. I hope you all will enjoy your years here at Hogwarts."

With that, Professor McGonagall opened the door, and led the way down the path towards the front of the hall, where a hat on a stool was awaiting us. Instinctively, I glanced towards the green-and-silver table, seeking out my brother.

He wasn't hard to find; there was a good ring of space around him, and only his close friends were seated beside him. His eyes were locked on me, watching my progression. I narrowed my eyes just slightly at him as I turned back towards the front so I didn't trip.

As my head swiveled back around, I spotted Hermione, Ron, and Harry, all of whom were staring at me. Hermione just looked embarrassed, but Ron and Harry looked furious. They stared at me with such hate I felt my skin begin to burn.

As our group came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the hat, the room fell silent, and McGonagall began reading names off the list. It was agonizing, standing in front of the entire student body, feeling Harry and Ron's furious eyes on my back, feeling my brothers condescending glare tearing into my body. There were only a few of the transfer students left along with me as McGonagall called,

"Rowan Malfoy."

The Great Hall went eerily quiet. Everyone's heads swiveled to me as I made my way up the steps and hopped up onto the stool. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself as the sorting hat was placed on top of my head.

_Ah, another Malfoy, what a surprise_ , the sorting hat said to me. _Another in the long line of pureblood lineage._

As I squeezed my eyes shut, the hat added _But wait... there's something different about you._

For the first time in a long while, I felt an emotion click in my chest; someone had called me different. Okay, granted, it was a chunk of talking fabric, but still.

_You aren't like your family, are you?_

_Not in the slightest_ , I thought sadly.

_Correct you are. I see great things for you, Rowan Malfoy. You will become a great witch. You will change the many lives you will touch. And so I know where you must be placed to achieve greatness…_

Before I could think anything else, the sorting hat screamed out the last thing I'd wanted to hear.

"GRYFFINDOR!"


	3. Fiddlesticks

Not a single soul moved as the sorting hat sealed my fate.

No one cheered. Not a clap, not a holler, not even an awkward cough. Everyone just stared up at me with a dumbfound expression, waiting to see what I’d do next. The Gryffindors didn’t want me, and now I looked like a traitor to my families name.

Slowly, I slid off the stool as McGonagall took the sorting hat off my head. I stood rooted to the spot, staring between the Gryffindor table and the Slytherin table. Draco’s eyes were blazing with fury, and Ron and Harry were staring at me with such a powerful disgust it made my stomach churn. For half a moment I contemplated just running right back out of the Great Hall.

Then, from behind me, a loud clap began to pick up; glancing over my shoulder, I caught Hagrid and Dumbledore smiling at me as they clapped heartily. The rest of the teachers slowly joined in, and most of the indifferent Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students clapped as well as I stiffly made my way down the stairs and over to the Gryffindor table. The kids on the end of the bench closest to me scooted as far down as possibly. Awkwardly, I sat down on the very edge of the bench. No one sat across or next to me, but that was fine. I kept my eyes trained on the table in front of me as Dumbledore put his hands together and said,

“Let the feast begin!”

As the food sprung up onto the plates, I just stared sadly. I'd once been enthralled by Draco's stories about the magic food; now it all just made me sick. I could still feel all eyes on me as I reached for a roll and began to munch it slowly. Further up the table, I heard Harry sneering,

“I never thought we’d get scum like that dumped into Gryffindor.”

My cheeks grew hot; I forced myself to continue eating the roll so I’d at least be doing something. It took all my concentration to keep the emotion off my face; I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of humiliating me. If this had been happening at Beauxbatons, I would be pulling out my wand, preparing to duel to earn my respect. But this _wasn't_ Beauxbatons, and if I did something like that here... well, if Draco didn't kill me, father sure would.

Though the meal seemed to drag on for years, I didn't want it to end. As painfully embarrassing as it was to sit here and be ridiculed, the aftermath of the sorting was something I didn't want to face. The second I stepped out of the Great Hall, Draco would tear into me about my latest predicament.

I waited until I was the very last Gryffindor at the table before I reluctantly got to my feet and shuffled after the last of the mealtime stragglers. The moment I left the Hall, two hands grabbed my shoulders and dragged me aside, slamming me hard against the wall. Draco’s blue eyes burned with anger as he glowered down at me.

“What the _bloody hell_ was that all about!?”

“I had no idea it would sort me into Gryffindor!” I nearly cried, feeling my face flush with shame. Draco pressed my shoulders harder into the wall as he snarled,

“ _You could have asked it to place you in Slytherin, Rowan_!”

“How was I supposed to know that, Draco?! I’ve never talked to a hat before -”

“You just made me the biggest laughing stock of the _entire_ school! You've completely embarrassed our family! What will mother and father think when they learn what house you’re in?!”

“Please don’t tell them!” I begged; Draco's hold turned painful and I shoved him back. He let go of me, blue eyes still smoldering. Shaking his head in disgust, he hissed,

“You've really messed up, Rowan.”

With that, my brother spun on his heel and stalked off into the shadows of the castle. Draco’s words hung in my mind as I made my way up the stairs going the opposite direction of him.

_Father’s going to be furious,_ I thought miserably, pausing at the top of the stairs to look around. As I stood there, realization came tumbling down onto me

_Well, great. Just great. I have no idea where the Gryffindor common room is._

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I decided to go right and take my chances down the hall. About half an hour later, I realized I was miserably lost. Why the _hell_ did the staircases have to move? What kind of sick joke was that?

With a weary groan, I finally admitted defeat. I leaned up against the wall, thunking my head back onto the brick as I slid down to the floor. Since I was wearing a skirt, I couldn’t curl up into the fetal position like I wanted, so I resorted to dropping my hands in my lap, leaning my head back as I stared up at the ceiling.

Why did I have to get kicked out of Beauxbatons? Sure, life at that school was hell, but at least I knew where I belonged. I knew who to stay away from, I knew who I could talk to, and I knew where to go and what to do. 

At Beauxbatons, I got to make my own reputation. Here, Draco had already made one for me.

I felt tears well up in my eyes for the second time that night; squeezing my eyes shut in frustration, I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. Angry at myself for crying, I viciously wiped it away and dropped my hand back onto my lap. More started to fall; I let out a shaky breath.

“For your information,” a voice said from in front of me. “The entrance to the Gryffindor common room is exactly three feet to your right.”

My eyes flew open in shock, and I found myself looking into a pair of blue eyes framed by a sweep of flaming hair. Though my brain said Weasley, I wasn’t sure if I believed it. This so-called Weasley was actually well kempt. His hair - though a little unruly - was styled nicely, and he had a smile that warmed my aching heart.

“Oh, er, thanks,” I said softly, hastily wiping my cheeks. Before I could scramble to my feet, the boy stuck his hand down towards me. I hesitated for a moment; he was a Gryffindor, and none of them seemed to care for me... but really, what did I have to lose? I slipped my hand into his and he pulled me up, then gave my hand a squeeze.

“Pleasure to meet you Rowan. The password is ‘fiddlesticks’.”

Had I told him my name? No, I hadn’t… So had he actually remembered it from the sorting ceremony? As I blinked in surprise, trying to piece together exactly what had just happened, the boy managed to pull his hand from mine and disappear down the hall before I could say anything. 

Only once I was in the common room did I realize I had no idea what his name was.

The common room was nearly empty and quiet except for the soft crackle from the fireplace across the room. Though I was confused as to which staircase to use, I caught sight of a little first year boy scampering up the stairs on the right, so I went up the left. Being smarter than the average human, I managed to figure out that there were six different dorms, one for each year. Finding number six, I quietly pushed the door open, praying to go unnoticed.

“Oh look, the Malfoy's here to grace us with her presence,” a girl sneered from the side. As I met her eyes, she smirked at me and said, “We gave you a little surprise to show how excited we are to have you here.”

As she and the other girls stepped aside, my heart dropped into my stomach. All my contents had been strewn across the floor, with several pieces of my clothes knotted together. One of my favorite shirts sticking out of the toilet. 

Fighting back tears of frustration, I pulled my wand out and tried to gather my things, only to be met with a barrier. The girls had used an anti-magic curse; if I wanted my things put away, I’d have to do it by hand.

The overwhelming urge to whip around and curse every single Gryffindor within my reach began to overtake my senses, but I forced my temper into control.

_Don't do anything that will piss off father more than he undoubtedly already is_ , I chanted to myself.

Miserably, I began to pick up my clothes, tossing them into my suitcase. It took me half an hour to gather my things; the girls around me laughed and continued to throw what I'd gathered back out of my suitcase.

As I reached a pile of my more personal items I’d brought with me, my heart skipped a beat. I clawed past a pair of sweats strewn over my pictures and carefully lifted out an old pink sock. Tucked inside, miraculously in one piece, was a small hand-made ceramic rose. 

It was one of the only things Draco had ever given me for my birthdays. He’d sculpted and painted it himself, no magic involved. It was one of the most special possessions I’d ever had. I'd learned a long time ago not to leave anything I valued at home; anything father deemed unnecessary got tossed. But it looked like my gift was no safer here. 

Trying to be discrete about it, I turned to tuck it into the back of my suitcase. A hand shot over my shoulder and ripped the sock from my hand. 

“Oh look! Malfoy has a favorite toy!”

Immediately my hand shot for my wand; one of the girls kicked it across the floor as they all cackled at me. I shot to my feet, fury and dread burning through me as she tugged the rose from the sock. 

“What, you want this?"

"Give it here, _now_ " I ordered, holding out my hand. I was shaking from anger; I wanted to curse her until she couldn't walk straight. Show these worthless slugs a thing or two about crossing me -

_If you get expelled, father's punishment will be so much worse than whatever they do_ , my conscience practically shouted at me as I seethed. It took all my self-control not to tackle that wench into the bunk bed. 

" _Please_ ," I forced, unballing my fist and holding my hand out. She rolled her eyes to the top of her head, pretending to think. Finally, turning her superior gaze onto me, she smirked and said,

“No, don’t think I will.”

I dove to catch it, but it fell too fast. My rose shattered into hundreds of pieces, all scattering around me as I hit the floor a heartbeat too late.

Tears fell freely down my cheek as I desperately gathered the pieces in my shaking hands, not even wincing as the ceramic sliced my palms and fingers. I held the broken slivers as I stared down at them, sadness and anger aching tight in my chest. 

The girls around me laughed, kicking pieces out of the way as they sauntered back to their own bunks, leaving me to my misery. 

My bloodied, shaking hand swept under my bunk until I finally found my wand. I picked myself up onto the bunk and began to mutter a spell that should have fixed it. 

On a good day, it was a tricky spell, and right now I couldn't even hold my wand straight. The pieces trembled, and a few slid towards one another, but after six or seven tries I still couldn't put it back together.

I grabbed the sock it'd been wrapped in and poured the pieces in as gently as my trembling hands allowed. After sealing it with the few protective charms I knew, I tucked the sock into my pillow and curled myself around it, exhaustion and misery taking over my body. 

As my eyes swept the room, tears still flowing down my face, I locked eyes with Hermione. Her brown eyes shone with sympathy as she watched my pathetic performance. I shut my eyes and rolled away with my pillow.

I didn’t need her pity.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new old story! What I mean is, this is a reposting of the same story I posted on Mibba.com a few years ago. It was deleted and I lost many chapters, but because I love it so much I want to do it all again and make sure it's completed. 
> 
> Keep in mind that this story was written before Deathly Hallows was even written. I will try to change it as I can to be a little more in line with the current universe.


End file.
